SPORT NEWS

ALL SCHOOLS NETBALL

On Monday 5 August the McKinnon Netball teams traveled out to Knox Netball Centre to compete in the Netball Victoria All Schools tournament. The teams included the Intermediate Boys team coached by Miss Douglas, the Intermediate Girls team coached by Miss Schmidt, the Senior Boys team coached by Mr Blackwood and the Senior Girls team coached by Miss Andrieux.

All teams had been training and preparing for this day after school since the beginning of Term 2. The Intermediate Boys fought hard for most of the day in a strong pool and managed just two wins of their six games throughout the day. However, they only lost by one goal in two of their games and were very competitive in the other three games they played throughout the day. A big thanks to Miss Douglas for coaching the boys throughout the day.

The Intermediate Girls managed to win four games, have two draws and only one loss throughout the day. The girls tried their hearts out all day. They finished in 3rd position out of eight teams which is a fantastic effort by the girls considering the very high level of competition they were facing.

The Senior Boys from their nine games played had four wins. The boys placed 7th on the ladder in what was a very competitive competition. The boys showed that at their best they could match it with anyone in what was a talent packed netball tournament. It was a great effort by the boys to play at such a high standard for nine games throughout the day with very little rest.

The Senior Girls coached by Miss Andrieux put their high level of talent on display throughout the whole day showing that they were a class above other teams in the tournament winning four games and only having two losses for the day. However, they just fell short finishing 2nd on the ladder which is an amazing effort in a very high skilled and talented competition.

Although we did not qualify through for the State Finals, it was a successful year with a record number of teams training and playing in this year's tournament. Hopefully this will lead to continued success in the future. A big thanks to all the coaches that gave up their time for the program.

Tim Blackwood

Head of Physical Education and Sport

SENIOR BOYS TABLE TENNIS

On Monday 5 August the Southern Metropolitan Region Table Tennis competition was held at Dandenong Table Tennis Centre. McKinnon's Senior Boys team consisted of Ashley Hunter, Yifan Yang, Oscar Zhang and Rishab Kiran. In the first round, McKinnon fought hard. Matches were tied at three rubbers each, however McKinnon won on a countback, narrowly defeating Nossal High School by one game. Our team went on to win our pool, comfortably beating Cranbourne Secondary College and Frankston High School.

In the Final, we played the acclaimed Melbourne High School (never before beaten in the Southern Metropolitan Region). Despite our best efforts, we lost to Melbourne High School 1 rubber to 5. However, we were awarded the Runners-Up Pennant for our efforts. Overall, it was a fairly successful day and we would like to extend our thanks to our coach Dr Law who organised training sessions and managed the team.

Ash Hunter (Captain) 

Year 12 Student

STATE SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Intermediate Squash, occurring on the same day as the Athletics Carnival, was located at MSAC, where schools from across the state met to compete for the title of State Squash Champions. Following a brief warm up in the morning, matches swiftly started. Within our first three rounds, in pools, there was minimal time to spare – we were occupied with the likes of competing, scoring, or even spectating; the games were too entertaining to miss. Regardless, we progressed, and made it into the Finals without losing a round - or even a match. 

After the pools, and a brief interval for lunch (which was primarily spent playing squash) the finals began. It commenced with us playing Melbourne High School’s second team (they entered three teams into the competition, but again, so did we) which, unsurprisingly, was somewhat of an endeavor. But our strongest competition was to be found in Balwyn High School, our opposition in the Grand Finals, who had “squashed” us in years prior. However, this time, we were not to be trumped - for this time, we had an ace. The Heart of the Cards was with us. The Ace in question carried us over the finish line, granting us the gleaming blue flag of victory, as well as a multitude of shiny metal discs which would be our reminder of the day’s events.

The winning team included our ace, Connor Hayes, myself, Sam Bajracharya, Nikita Osadchiy and Alex Burstall. A true championship team.

All in all, it was great fun, and not losing this time only served to increase the enjoyment. Finally, a big thanks must go to Mrs Hooper, Mr Buntman and Mr Voorham for providing this great opportunity for us.

Sam Bajracharya

Year 10 Student

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS HOCKEY

On Wednesday 21 August the Intermediate Girls hockey team bussed to Brighton Secondary College to put their best foot forward and play some friendly matches against Parkdale and Brighton Secondary. We first played against Brighton and after 40 minutes of intense playing we were forced to go into overtime. We played 10 more minutes with Brighton scoring a goal. We went down 1-0. Immediately after we faced Parkdale for another 40 minutes. Sadly we lost this one as well but that didn't let that ruin the spirit of the day. A BIG thanks to Hope Pengilly and Mrs Hooper for coaching,

From McKinnon Hockeyroos :-)